Sirius Potter and the Marauders Return
by sum1calledjo
Summary: Sirius Potter, only son of Harry and Ginny is due to start his first year at Hogwarts with his cousin and best friend James Weasley. Their first year is FAR from uneventful...UPDATED: I CLEANED IT UP A BIT AND SPLIT IT INTO CHAPTERS
1. Chapter 1

Sirius stared at the ceiling of his small, stuffy room at the Leaky Cauldron. He could still hear the singing and shouting from the bar downstairs.

It was Harry Potter Day. Witches and Wizards across the globe were celebrating on this warm, summers day. Sirius and his friends had, of course, joined the celebrations. After all, as Harry Potter was Sirius' father, he would never have dreamt about doing anything else.

The singing died down as the voice of Sirius' mother drifted up the stairs.

"Come on now, you don't want to wake the children."

"Oh come on Gin! Personally, I think you sent them to bed far too early!"

"Well that just shows how inconsiderate you can be."

"Me? Inconsiderate? Nah…"

Sirius grinned. He liked his Uncle Ron a lot, and though he never said it out loud he preferred him to Aunt Hermione. She was forever lecturing him on the neatness of his handwriting.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Sirius' three cousins, James, Will and Freya crept in.

James was eleven, the same age as Sirius, and both were due to start Hogwarts in September. Will was fifteen, in his 5th year and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Freya was in her 7th and final year at Hogwarts, and was Head Girl. All three gathered around Sirius' bed, very much wide awake.

"Wow, today's been brilliant, too bad your Dad couldn't make it Sirius." Will Sighed.

"Still, the fun's not over yet. You two still have Hogwarts to look forward to now." Said Freya, pointing to James and Sirius.

"Yeah, I _so_ can't wait!" Breathed James, falling back onto Sirius' pillow. "It's gonna be brilliant!"

"Hey Sirius, I wrote to Professor Lupin and asked if you can take you broom, and he agreed!"

"Why Sirius? Why not me?" James whined, before Sirius had a chance to speak.

"Because Sirius has got his father's talent, talent I haven't seen since Matty Wood."

"Isn't he the son of Oliver Wood, the England Keeper?"

"Sure is, little bro'."

"Oh! I know him!" Freya cut in. ""He was a year above me! He was _so _good looking…"

"Anyway," Said Will, loudly. What do you think Sirius? Want to try out for the Gryffindor team?"

"Well…I'd love to... It's just that…" Sirius hesitated.

"What?"

"I don't even know that I'm going to _be_ in Gryffindor."

"Oh never mind that!" Will waved the thought away as though it were a fly. "You're the son of Harry Potter! Where else would you be?"

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but James jumped up suddenly.

"Mum's coming!"

The three scattered, leaving Sirius alone in his room. Then, there was a small "Pop" and Harry Potter was standing at the end of Sirius' bed.

"Dad!"

"Hey kiddo. Good day?"

"You bet! We've only just stopped celebrating!"

Harry Potter grinned, his green eyes flashed and he ran his fingers through his untidy black hair. Sirius noticed, with a slight shock, that he looked exhausted.

"Where've you been Dad?" Sirius whispered.

Harry sat down on the bed next to his son.

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Sirius sighed, Harry ruffled his equally black and untidy hair. Sirius giggled, and then remembered what he was going to say.

"Dad, Professor Lupin says I can take my broom to Hogwarts!"

"Hey that's great! You can try out for the Quidditch team!"

"Oh I can't wait! I want to go now!"

Harry laughed.

"Well, I was going to save these until the night before, but since you're so excited…"

Harry put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a long cloak and a piece of parchment.

"Er…Dad? What's that for?" Sirius pointed to the parchment. The cloak he knew was an invisibility cloak.

"That is The Marauders Map. It's a map of Hogwarts and it shows everyone who is in the castle at the time and exactly where they are. My Dad, _your_ grandfather, and his friends wrote it."

Harry tapped the map with his wand and said clearly, " I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, think ink lines appeared and began to join together, forming a perfect map of Hogwarts Castle. At the top, words had begun to form. Sirius leant in closer and read:

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,

Purveyors of aids to Magical Mischief-Makers,

Are proud to present:

The Marauders Map

"Who are…"

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? The nicknames of my father and his friends. He was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Professor Lupin was Moony and…and Pettigrew was Wormtail."

Sirius thought for a moment, and then asked his father, "Did you and your friends never try to recreate the Marauders?"

Harry blinked and stared at his young son. It suddenly struck him how like the first Sirius he was, even though there was no actual blood relation.

"You know, that's a brilliant idea. I can't believe I never thought of that. Well, actually I can, because for starters I never got the map 'till my third year…" Harry thought for a moment, and a certain trip into the Pensive came back to him. He grinned, jokily, and placed his wand on Sirius' left shoulder, then his right.

"I dub thee…Padfoot."

Miles away, the Headmaster of Hogwarts paced his study, waiting for his Wolfsbane Potion that would protect him from the approaching full moon.

"You mean it? You really mean it?"

Sirius sighed, and for the fifth time answered, "Yes. My Dad wants me to include my friends, and who better to start with than you? You are my best friend, after all."

James grinned, his light brown hair flying all over his face.

"Excellent. I'm going to love Hogwarts, I just know it."

Suddenly, a train rushed past and made them both jump.

"Boys! Get over here!"

Sirius and James caught up with Ginny Potter, dragging their trunks and owl cages behind them.

"Right, through the barrier, come on." Harry Potter guided Sirius onto Platform nine and three quarters, following James, Will, Freyer, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

The scarlet form of the Hogwarts Express made Sirius gasp, he'd forgotten how beautiful it looked. For years he had followed with Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron to wave off Freyer and Will, but now, finally, he would take that trip to Hogwarts himself.

Ron and Will lifted all the trunks onto the train, then turned back to the group for farewells.

"Oh Sirius!" Ginny pulled him into a hug so tight he could hardly breathe. "Promise me you'll behave, and be careful."

"Mum, I'll be fine, I promise."

"Sirius?"

Sirius turned to his Dad. Harry ruffled his son's hair and grinned.

"Mind how you go, and be sure to put the map and cloak to good use." He winked, and added, "Padfoot."

Sirius was ushered onto the train, and the last words he heard his parents converse floated through the door.

"You gave him the map? Oh for heavens sake…"

"Relax, Gin, he's a sensible kid…"


	2. Chapter 2

"Well kids, I'm off to find my mates so you're on your own from now on." Will started down the train. "If anyone gives you any hassle, come and get me, ok? Or go to the Prefects compartment, Freya's in there.

They watched Will disappear, and then walked down the train until they found an empty compartment, where James sat down and turned to Sirius.

"So, what were you saying?"

"Oh yeah." Sirius sat, and stared across at James who was hanging on to his every word. "My Dad called me Padfoot, after Sirius Black, and I want you to be Prongs."

James' eyes opened wide with amazement.

"Really?"

"Yes." Sirius grinned. "Yes. And as for Moony…well I hope we can meet someone at Hogwarts who fit's the role, someone we can trust."

"And what about Wormtail?"

Sirius thought for a moment.

"I haven't yet decided on whether or not I want to keep the memory of my Grandparents' murderer alive." He said, bitterly.

"I suppose you could focus on before he was a traitor, on the times when he was still their friend."

Sirius stayed silent and stared instead, out of the window.

Suddenly, their compartment door slid open and three boys walked in. The two on each side were quite big boned, but the boy in the middle was thin and pale-faced. Sirius knew at once this boy was a Malfoy, having heard all about them from his Father.

"So. _Potter_," He sneered at Sirius. "Your Dad still keeping alive?"

Sirius stood up. "So. _Malfoy_. Your Dad still keeping out of Prison?"

Malfoy backed down, scowled at Sirius and left, followed by his henchmen.

James stared at Sirius. "Malfoy?"

"Yeah, Draco Malfoy's son. Dunno his first name, but it's not like I care."

A group of girls walked past their compartment, but stopped when they saw Sirius. One of them stuck her head inside.

"Is your name Potter?" She asked.

"Er…yeah." Replied Sirius, confused.

The girls giggled and moved on.

"What was that all about?" Asked James.

"I've no idea, but the sooner we get to Hogwarts the better."

"Yeah," Agreed James, not paying attention. "I'm starving."

Sirius stared out the window again. He had just, for the first time in his life, understood how his Dad must have felt at school, only he must have had it ten times worse because after all, Sirius had no scar for them to gape at.

When they reached the station, having changed into their robes, Sirius and James jumped down from the train and followed the sound of "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"

They gathered around Hagrid, an extremely large man dressed in a moleskin coat. Sirius and James knew Hagrid already of course, as he had been a regular visitor to the Potters' over the summer holidays.

"All right boys?" Hagrid beamed down at them, his beady eyes twinkling in the moon-light.

The first years were lead by Hagrid to a lake, where twenty or more little boats were sat waiting. Sirius climbed into a boat along with another boy and a mousey-haired girl who was clutching a small cage to her chest.

As they crossed the lake, the other boy jabbered away excitedly.

"Wow, this is great. Look at all the stars, and the moon, wish it was full moon, full moons are the best…"

Sirius caught James' eye and winked.

The first years reached the shore, climbed out of their boats and followed Hagrid up to the castle. A very young looking, sandy haired wizard greeted them at the door. He was very energetic, rocking back on his heels and winking at everyone. He led them into the entrance hall of the castle where he addressed them for the first time.

"Welcome." He said, grinning like a six year old in a sweet shop. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor Fiddler, head of Gryffindor house and deputy head to Professor Lupin. I trust you all had a pleasant journey…"

As he began to explain about the sorting process, James turned to Sirius.

"What do you think about the boy in the boat? Good enough to be Moony or what?"

"Let's just see where we end up first." Sirius whispered back. "It's no good for us if he ends up in Slytherin."

Suddenly, they were moving into the Great Hall. Sirius breathed in the smell of wood, magic and cooked food. Stars twinkled down on them from the enchanted ceiling, and hundreds of candles floated in midair above the tables.

The first years came to a stop in front of a long, wooden table full of teachers. Sirius recognized the head, Professor Remus Lupin, and Hagrid who had just sat down.

Professor Fiddler placed an old wizard's hat onto a three-legged stool and waited. Silence rang out throughout the hall, and then the brim of the hat opened and the hat sung-

"Patched Hats, Floppy hats,

Woolly hats and more.

There is one hat I guarantee

You've never worn before.

I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,

I can see inside your mind.

I'll search and search and search again,

To see what I can find.

You might belong to Gryffindor,

With Lions on their chests.

You might belong to Hufflepuff,

Who always try their best.

You could belong in Ravenclaw,

Who put their brains to work.

Or you could belong to Slytherin,

In whom strong powers lurk.

So pop me on and I will see,

Where I think you ought to go.

Roll up, roll up, gather round,

I won't bite you know!"

Everyone in the hall clapped, and then Professor Fiddler unrolled a long roll of parchment and began to scan down a list. After a moment he grinned to the first years and read out the first name.

"Anthony, Jack!"

A small, blonde haired boy walked slowly towards the hat and put it on. After about twenty seconds the rim of the hat opened and it shouted-

"RAVENCLAW!"

The boy joined the Ravenclaw table, and Professor Fiddler carried on down the list.

When he called out-

"Jones, Cory!"

The boy from the boat walked over to the hat and was declared-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James grinned at Sirius, as Fiddler called out

"Little, Nancy!"

The girl from the boat now, and she was still clutching the small cage. She too was made a Gryffindor.

"Malfoy, Evan!!" was announced a Slytherin before he had even touched the hat. Then Sirius heard his name.

"Potter, Sirius!"

Sirius made his way towards the sorting hat. He sat on the stool, placed the hat on his head, and waited. A small voice whispered in his ear.

"Ah. I've been waiting for you, Mr. Potter. Yes…you father disagreed with what I thought of him…but I doubt you will…GRIFFINDOR!"

The hall clapped, and Sirius took his place at the Gryffindor table next to Cory Jones who grinned at him.

Soon after James joined Sirius at the Gryffindor table, Fiddler rolled up his parchment and sat at the Staff table. Lupin, however, got to his feet.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I know you are all ready to eat, but if you'd just bare with me while I make some short announcements.

"I'd like to welcome some new members of staff. First, Professor Longbottom who will be teaching Herbology. Professor Sprout has retired her post but will stay on as head of Hufflepuff house. And second, Miss Katie Bell who will be teaching Quidditch to first years and refereeing all inter-house Quidditch matches. Quidditch tryouts will be held next weekend, and I must remind first years that unless you have special permission, you cannot take part.

"More importantly, I must remind all students that the forest is strictly off limits, as is the rest of the castle after lights out."

Lupin beamed around the room. He paused and winked at Sirius who grinned back.

"Well, all I have left to say is this. Let the feast, begin!"

That night, Sirius lay in his four poster bed, listening to the breathing of his fellow Gryffindors and thinking about how glad he was to finally be at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the following week, Sirius and James participated in the usual Hogwarts lessons. Professor Flitwick took them for Charms, an extremely small, grey haired Wizard who remembered Harry Potter well. "…best summoning charm I had ever seen…"

Herbology was with Professor Longbottom, a round faced young Wizard who had been a friend of Harry's at Hogwarts.

The ghost of Professor Binns took them for History of Magic, while Professor Fiddler taught Transfiguration.

The Potions master was an old, doddery wizard who suffered severe memory loss but was an excellent teacher all the same. Sirius had been wary at first, having heard too many Professor Snape stories from his parents. Professor Adder, however, although head of Slytherin, didn't show favoritism at all. Indeed, he seemed to loathe Malfoy as much as Sirius and James.

"You boy! Yeah you!" He croaked to Malfoy, one afternoon in the dungeons. "Pay attention or I'll turn your tongue into a venomous snake!"

Evan Malfoy shut up at once. His father had once recalled to him the time when an equally bad tempered wizard had turned him into a ferret and bounced him round the entrance hall.

Defence against the Dark arts was by far Sirius' favorite lesson, and it was here the Marauders gained their third member.

Their teacher was Tonks, a fun and friendly witch who was good friends with the Potters, Weasleys, and especially Professor Lupin.

Tonks always greeted the class with a grin, and never asked them to call her "Professor", she was just plain Tonks.

On this particular lesson, they had been learning about various dark creatures, and for the first part of the lesson had been naming as many as they could, and outlining the ways in which to recognize them. They had noted them down, and now there were just a few minutes left until the bell.

"Right, everyone into groups of no more than three. Cory, you go and join Sirius and James."

Cory sat next to Sirius who grinned at him.

"Ok, to finish off today I thought we could have a bit of a debate." Tonks paused and look around the room, her pink hair clashing horribly with her purple robes. "Any ideas on topics to start us off?"

"Quidditch!" Came a voice from the back.

"Lets try to stick to the subject, shall we?" Tonks grinned.

"Werewolves."

Everyone looked around at Cory who just stared right back.

"Now that's more like it!" Tonks looked impressed. "So then Cory, what are your views on Werewolves?"

"I think they're great. I'd love to be able to turn into one. Willingly though, and as long as I could keep my head when I transform."

"But they attack people!" Cried a girl from the front.

"Only if they don't take the Wolfsbane potion. I know you get some nutters like Greyback who bite people for the fun of it, but if you think about it, Werewolves aren't all that bad!"

"Yeah, like Professor Lupin!" Sirius jumped in. Cory grinned.

"Exactly. I think he's brilliant. Able to juggle the full moon with him being Headmaster."

Suddenly the bell rang, making everyone jump.

"Ok guys, well done! Some really interesting stuff going on there. Homework is to write down some positive and negative points on Werewolves so that we can continue this next lesson!"

Sirius turned to Cory.

"How come you're so into Werewolves?"

"My brother is one. He was bitten when he was about nine. I got him to tell me everything, what it feels like, what he thinks about, it's really fascinating."

"Really?" Asked James. "My Uncle is a sort-of Werewolf. He only got scratched so he doesn't change, but he likes his raw meat!"

Cory laughed, then went read as he asked, "D'you mind if I…hang around with you guys? It's just, I haven't really made any other friends…"

"Yeah, it's fine!" agreed Sirius. "We were going to ask you anyway. Me and Prongs are cousins, so we've been hoping to meet new people."

"Prongs?" Cory frowned.

"Ah…it's his nickname." explained Sirius. "He's Prongs, and I'm Padfoot."

"Cool." sighed Cory. "I've never had a nickname."

"Well, how would you like to be Moony?" Sirius asked, and as they headed towards the Great Hall for dinner, he and James explained all about the Marauders.

On Saturday, the first years had their first Quidditch lesson. Most knew already the rules of Quidditch and were pretty good flyers. Katie Bell took the lesson, instructing people how to manage their brooms and the Quaffle together. She swept around the group, placing everyone in pairs. James was placed with Cory, and Sirius ended up with the mousey-haired girl from the boat, Nancy Little.

"Right, I want everyone to mount your brooms and hover about five feet in the air. Then I want you to play catch with the Quaffle in your pairs."

Sirius and Nancy threw back and forth in silence until Sirius asked,

"What was in the cage?"

Nancy looked so surprised at the fact he was talking to her that she dropped the Quaffle. When the game was back in full swing she answered,

"My rats."

Sirius smiled.

"What are they called? My Dad's owl is called Hedwig…

"Sugar and Spice."

_"Harry!"_

Sirius turned to see where Katie Bell had called to and then speed towards. Harry Potter was striding across the pitch, waving to them all. Sirius flew towards him and landed with a "_thud_" in front of him.

"Dad? What are _you _doing here?"

Harry grinned at his son and kissed Katie on the cheek.

"Mind if I have a word with him?" He asked her.

"Sure." She zoomed off to join the rest of the class back in the air.

"So, why _are_ you here?"

"I came to see Lupin and I thought I'd just stop by. Had a good week?"

"The best!" grinned Sirius.

Harry paused and turned serious.

"Sirius, I assume you've come across Evan Malfoy?"

"Yeah, on the train and in Potions, why?"

"Well, maybe it's a good idea to stay as far away from him as possible."

"What-"

"Sirius, please, just trust me on this. Oh, and I brought you this." He handed Sirius a small, square mirror. Sirius recognized it at once as one of the two-way mirrors his Dad owned.

"Use it if you want me, ok? Whether it's something important, or you just want to chat."

"Er…thanks Dad." Sirius grinned as Harry ruffled his already wind swept hair.

"Right, well, I'll be off. Enjoy your lesson."

Sirius watched his Dad until he disappeared into the castle. James landed next to him, followed by Cory.

"What was that about?"

"I'll tell you at lunch."

"Why do you reckon he gave you the mirror?" James asked Sirius, looking puzzled.

"I have no idea." Sirius sighed. "But he obviously knows _something_ about the Malfoy's, or he wouldn't have had to warn me."

"I reckon you should just forget about it all for a bit, Padfoot." Cory suggested. "Take your mind of things, play a bit of Quidditch or something. It's a shame the Team tryouts were delayed."

"Yeah." Sirius stared absent mindedly across the common room where Nancy was sitting, alone, with a large white rat on each shoulder.

"Oi. Potter."

Sirius looked up. A tall 5th year was holding a snowy white owl. "This came for you."

Sirius reached for Hedwig, but the 5th year held the letter out of his reach.

"Jump for it." He grinned, teasing Sirius.

"Ah…come on. Just give me the letter."

"Beg. Or Jump. Your choice titch."

Sirius reached but he was too small. James made a wild grab but the boy held the letter higher. Cory stood on his chair but as he reached he toppled over and fell.

"Look, we don't want trouble," James pleaded. "Just give Sirius the letter."

"Erm…No."

"Hey, you"

Nancy had appeared behind the boy, her rats still on her shoulders.

"Give him the letter."

"Eurgh, keep those things away from me!" The boy winced at the sight of the rats. "They don't bite, do they?"

"You bet they do!" Nancy said fiercely. "So you give Sirius his letter or I'll order them to attack!"

The boy thrust the letter into Sirius' hand and stalked off across the common room. Nancy grinned at Sirius, and he nodded to the chair opposite him. She sat.

"Thanks for that." Sirius grinned, tucking his letter into his cloak. "They don't really bite, do they?"

"No, of course not. They're as tame as Kittens."

"I was bitten by a kitten once." Said Cory, and they all laughed.

"You want to join us in a two-aside Quidditch game later?" James asked Nancy.

"Um…I don't play. Sorry. I'm muggle-born you see, so I don't know how."

"Well we can teach you, can't we Prongs?" Sirius grinned at James.

"You bet. Me and Moony against you two then, 'cuz Moony and you are good Sirius, and if Nancy has never played before…"

Nancy grinned. "Ok then. But explain something to me first. Moony and Prongs? Nicknames I take it?"

"Yep. And I'm Padfoot." Sirius said, grinning mischievously.

"What are you, a gang or something?"

"Yep." Said Sirius again. "And we've just acquired our fourth and final member."


	4. Chapter 4

Life for the Marauders definitely improved with having Nancy in the gang. For a start, her rats became unusually useful for warning off elder students looking to pick on first years, and in any lesson where mixed groups were required, there were no more uncomfortable silences between the three boys and a girl they barely knew.

Sirius had, however, gained a number of things to worry about, despite the fact that all the Marauders seemed keen to live up to their motto: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good". Harry had been writing frequent letters to Sirius, urging him to behave and not put himself in danger.

"You can't be too careful! (he wrote), Even with Voldemort gone, there are still dark wizards out there."

"He talks as though Hogwarts is in the middle of a public place and I'm doing my best to break every rule in the book!""

James smiled sympathetically. "I know mate. I'm getting the same from _my _parents."

"And _my_ mum keeps reminding me that the forest is off limits and not to approach large wolf-like dogs! Honestly, she came to Hogwarts herself, she must have noticed the lack of dogs trotting around the place!"

"What about your Dad?" Nancy asked, peering over the top of her "Standard Book of Spells, Grade One".

"He's a muggle, I'm half and half you see. My Mum knew your Dad." He added to Sirius. "Ask him if he remembers Lavender Brown…"

"Hey! _My_ Dad told me he went out with her once!" James exclaimed.

Cory burst out laughing. "Just think, if they had ended up getting married then neither of us might have been born!"

Another worry Sirius had gained was his and James' useless sense of direction. Twice, now, they had got lost and been late for Potions. Sirius had begun to study the map thoroughly at night, as he didn't dare wave it around in public, but the moving staircases were a big problem.

"Come on Sirius, it's just up here!" James called over his shoulder. They were sprinting down corridors, ten minutes late for Transfiguration. When they reached the door, they paused to catch their breathe before pulling it open and walking in.

The rest of the class were immersed in writing an essay. Cory and Nancy grinned at them, as they approached Professor Fiddler's desk. It was bare, except for a sand-coloured ferret, snoozing on the register.

"Phew, he's not here." Sighed James with relief. Sirius, however, frowned at the ferret. It had sat up and was staring straight at them. Suddenly, there was a pop, and Professor Fiddler was sitting on the edge of his desk.

"Well hello." Professor Fiddler smiled at Sirius and James. "What time do you call this?"

"Sorry Sir." Sirius began. "We got lost and…"

"Then say no more. Hogwarts Castle is famous for it's moving staircases, doors and walls. Just the other day I came across a fully stocked store cupboard I'd never seen before when I broke my quill."

"Er…right." Sirius followed James to their usual table and sat down with Cory and Nancy.

"I didn't know Professor Fiddler was an Animagus!" exclaimed James.

"Neither did we until the start of this lesson." Replied Cory.

Nancy turned to Sirius. "A fifth year told me that there's meant to be a secret passage under the Whomping Willow." She said, casting a wary eye over to where Professor Fiddler was talking to the students on the next table. "I wondered if it was on the map."

"It is but I don't know where it finishes." Sirius explained. "It leads out of the Castle grounds."

"Cool!" Whispered James and Cory together.

"Let's check it out!" James hissed, excitedly.

"When?"

"Saturday night?" Suggested Cory. "That way if we stay out late, we don't have to worry about getting up early."

"Ok. Saturday night, Whomping Willow. Can't wait." Grinned Sirius.

On Saturday morning, a loud "BANG!" woke Sirius up. He pulled apart the curtains of his four poster bed to reveal Will Weasley hopping around the room, clutching his left foot.

"Hi Will.

Will stopped jumping and sat down on Sirius' bed.

"Sorry about that mate," He said, rubbing his foot. "Walked into James' trunk. I came to tell you, you're on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"But I haven't tried out yet!" exclaimed Sirius.

"You don't need to mate. I saw you in your lesson, and Katie Bell says you're a natural, just like your Dad."

Sirius sat, speechless. He couldn't believe it. He was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team!

"First practice is today, 1:30 at the Quidditch pitch. I know it's a bit short notice…"

"I'll be there."

"That's my boy!" Will got up, stretched, and started towards the door. "I'll catch you later. Got an Essay to finish for Flitwick, doing my O.W.L.s this year you know…"

After lunch, Sirius made his way down to the Quidditch pitch along with his fellow Marauders, who were offering him tips and advice at every possible moment.

"You'll be fine, you're a good flyer…"

"Just keep your eyes on the snitch…"

"Watch out for Bludgers…"

"It's only a training session James, he'll be fine…"

"Ready Sirius?" Will came trotting over to meet them, followed by two girls holding beaters' bats.

"You bet." Sirius grinned at Will who winked back.

"This is Jess, and Tess Creevy." Will pointed at each of the girls in turn who smiled at Sirius. "They're our Beaters. I'm a chaser, along with Matty Moon and Lucy Spinnet, and Carl Jordan is our Keeper."

It was a brilliant training session. Sirius caught the snitch easily, so that every time Will suggested he gave it five minutes head-start. By four O'clock, everyone was tired out, and they all trooped back to the castle for dinner.

At 9:30 the Marauders crept down from their dormitories and squeezed under the invisibility cloak. They slipped out the common room when, by chance, Will and Carl Jordan came through the portrait from the other side.

They were lucky, they met no one except the Bloody-Baron who floated past, muttering crossly to himself, along the Charms corridor.

When they reached the Whomping Willow, they pulled off the cloak and stared. Then Cory asked the question they were all thinking.

"How do we get under it?"

Carefully, Sirius took a few steps towards the tree. At first, nothing happened. Then a large branch smacked him across the face and he was thrown back to land on top of James.

"Ow, sorry James."

"No worries, mate. You're not bleeding, are…" James stopped. Sirius followed his gaze to where Nancy was edging forwards on her stomach towards the tree. As she neared the trunk she reached out and pressed a large knot. The tree stopped moving.

"Wow! Way to go, Wormtail!" Cried Cory. "Lets get in there quick, before it starts to move again."

They all slid down the slope between the roots and came out at the bottom of a very low tunnel. They began to walk.

"How did you know what to do?" Sirius asked Nancy, as they led the other two along the tunnel.

"The Fifth year told me."

They walked and walked, until eventually the tunnel began to rise and twist, and they came to a small opening. They crept through and looked around. They were standing in a very dusty room where broken furniture lay scattered across the floor and all the windows were boarded up.

"What _is_ this place?" Cory wondered aloud. "Padfoot? Any ideas?"

Sirius frowned at the map. They were no longer on it.

"We're off the map, which means we're out of Hogwarts."

Suddenly, James gasped.

"Of course!" He turned to Sirius, a gleeful look in his eye. "We're in the Shrieking Shack! We're in Hogsmeade! Remember our Dads telling us?"

"Yes! This is where my Dad found Sirius Black!" Exclaimed Sirius.

"Wow!" Breathed Cory, looking around. "Just think, no one else has probably set foot in here since!"

James turned to where Nancy was peering out the boards on the windows.

"What D'you think, Wormtail? Worth the trip?"

Nancy opened her mouth to answer but there was a loud "BANG" from the next room which made them all jump. Sirius and James automatically drew their wands, as Cory whipped round to stare at the door.

"Who's there?" Whispered James.

"Forget it, Prongs." Sirius said, putting his wand away. "Probably just rats or something."

"Come on, lets go." Said Cory, turning back towards the tunnel. "At least now we know where it leads to."

They all filed back in to the tunnel one after another. The man stood in the shadows, chuckling to himself, and wringing a wand in his chubby hands.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, eh? I wonder who gave them that idea."

The weeks leading up to Christmas were the most eventful yet. Sirius played his first two Quidditch matches and won both, 190-60 against Hufflepuff, and 270-120 against Ravenclaw.

In lessons they had leant the "_Wingardium Leviosa" _charm, how to turn a match into a needle, and an antidote for warts.

On the last day of term, Sirius and James sat at the Gryffindor table, eating lunch and discussing the holidays.

"We'll be coming to yours next Thursday, but we're seeing Gran and Granddad first at The Burrow." James said.

"Are they coming with you to ours?"

"Yep. Should be. And Fred and George, Lupin and Tonks, and Bill and Fleur. You're gonna have a house full."

"Hey! Sirius!" Cory came sprinting into the hall, waving a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Look at this!"

Sirius leaned in and read the headline out loud.

"PETER PETTIGREW STILL AT LARGE."

"Apparently, he was sighted last week not far from here." Cory scanned the article. "Avoided capture so far…Aurors including Harry Potter out searching…"

"WHAT?" Sirius cried, making James jump. "My Dad is out looking?"

"Has been since August, according to this."

"Of course!" Sirius banged his head on the table. "No wonder he's been telling me to be careful. If Pettigrew wants revenge on my Dad, he's likely to come after me!"

"But you're in Hogwarts." James reminded him. "It's the safest place to be, unless you locked yourself in a vault at Gringotts. He's not likely to come bursting into the Castle, is he?!

"YES!"

Sirius and James turned to stare at Cory who had just cried out gleefully.

"Your Dad has caught Draco Malfoy, Padfoot!"

"What?"

"It says here, "Draco Malfoy, former follower of Lord Voldemort has been captured and sent to Azkaban by none other that Harry Potter himself. The defeater of Lord Voldemort refused to comment, but it is thought that Malfoy was in some kind of contact with Peter Pettigrew." Which explains why your Dad wanted you to stay away from Evan."

It all made sense. Sirius and James left Cory to eat, and made there way to the entrance hall. As they began to climb the steps, Evan Malfoy appeared at the top and began walking down.

"You keep out of my way, Potter!" He snarled.

"Or what?" Laughed James. "You'll get Daddy to do us in?"

Malfoy scowled, but continued on. Sirius and James hurried back to Gryffindor tower to continue packing.

Life at number 12 Grimmauld Place had improved in leaps and bounds since Harry was 15. It was no longer the dark, dusty, damp place it used to be. It was now bright, clean and warm. The portrait of Sirius' mum had been removed some years ago, and in it's place was a picture of Lily and James Potter. The Black family tree was also gone, along with anything bearing the family crest.

Harry and Ginny had added Christmas trees, tinsel and fairy lights since Sirius had last been home. There was a warm and happy feeling throughout the duration of the holidays, as they had family and friends around for endless turkey dinners. Sirius loved it, but was anxious to get back to Hogwarts for the Quidditch, and to see Nancy and Cory again.

It was the last night before they were due back at Hogwarts when Sirius asked his Dad about Peter Pettigrew.

"How do you know about that?" asked Harry, frowning.

"Daily Prophet."

"And what did it say?"

"Only that you've been looking for him since August."

"Well, yeah. They're right. I have been."

"What do you think he's up to?"

"Ah, come on Sirius! Even if I knew, you know I couldn't tell you." Grinned Harry.

After Sirius had gone to bed, Ginny sat next to Harry on their sofa and smiled.

"What?"

"He's just like you were when you were young."

"Yeah, and if you remember I had a real nose for trouble."

"Like father like son." Said Ginny, sleepily.

"That's what worries me." Said Harry.


	5. Chapter 5

January brought cold winds, Quidditch Practice, and endless Potion essays for Sirius and his fellow first years. February saw snow, a practical charms test, and 30 house points for Gryffindor for good work. Then March flew by, bringing with it a Gryffindor victory against Slytherin, 200-70, in Quidditch.

As April came to light, the Gryffindor's had only one thing on their minds, the Quidditch Final. Slytherin had lost their match to Ravenclaw, so the game would be Gryffindor V. Ravenclaw.

The Slytherins were in a foul mood. They had started to jinx every Gryffindor that walked the halls. Sirius and James got the impression that Evan Malfoy and a group of 4th year Slytherins were plotting something. They could be seen at meal times, heads together, discussing. Sirius tried to put it out of mind, until the weekend before the match when Professor Lupin made a terrible announcement.

Lupin was angry. That was the first thing Sirius noticed. And, as he looked along the staff table, so were the rest of the teachers.

"The Quidditch Cup," Lupin began, "Has been _stolen_!"

Gasps rose from every table, Sirius couldn't believe his ears.

"This is a terrible act of selfishness, and until the Cup is returned and the culprit punished, the Quidditch final has been cancelled."

Shouts of protest rose up from both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Sirius glanced towards the Slytherin table and was mildly surprised to see Malfoy with a huge grin on his face.

"If anyone has any information they must speak either to me or their head of house immediately. I assure you, that when the culprit is caught, he or she will be punished, and that could include exclusion."

When everyone was dismissed, Sirius, James, Cory and Nancy made their way back to Gryffindor tower.

"Who D'you think took it?" James asked.

"No idea." Sirius said, angrily. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a Slytherin."

As they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, a large cardboard box came into view. Sirius and the others examined it and found a large label with _"Sirius Potter" _scrawled on it.

"Another student left that for you." explained the Fat Lady. "He couldn't bring it in as he wasn't a Gryffindor.

"Open it then." Said Cory, eagerly.

"No, wait. I'll take it to the dormitory and open it there."

They all grabbed a side and carried the box into the empty boys dormitory. There, Sirius pulled off the lid…and gasped.

"It's…it's the Quidditch House Cup!" Gasped Nancy, a horrified look on her face. "Oh Sirius! I don't believe it!"

"I didn't steal it!" exclaimed Sirius.

"But you said yourself downstairs, you wanted to open it up here…"

"Only because I thought it was something from my Dad!"

"Oh."

"Come on Wormtail!" Said Cory. You can't really have thought he'd nicked it! He's been with us all day!"

"'course, sorry Sirius."

"Don't mention it." Sirius mumbled. "But that still doesn't explain why _I_ have it!"

"Malfoy."

Everyone looked round at James, who was frowning at the cup.

"We knew he was planning something. You've got to hand it in, Padfoot." He added, looking at Sirius.

"I can't! They'll exclude me!"

"Just tell them it was Malfoy…"

"We have no proof! We're only guessing ourselves!"

"He's got a point there." Said Cory, sadly.

"Well, what _do_ we do with it?" asked James.

"Get rid of it." Cory stated simply.

"How? When? _Where_?"

"Tonight. In the Shrieking Shack."

"Fine. But I'm going, not Sirius."

"James! This is my problem!" Sirius cried.

"No, _our_ problem." It wasn't James who answered, it was Cory. He looked like he'd just swallowed a horned slug.

"I'll use your invisibility cloak." James said, leaping into action. " You and Cory need to put in an appearance, show yourselves to Malfoy looking normal, that everything's fine."

"I'm coming with you."

James, Sirius and Cory stared at Nancy.

"I can help carry the cup, and no one will notice I'm gone anyway 'cuz the other girls in my dormitory don't like me."

Sirius smiled sympathetically. "Ok but you're taking the map, and be careful!"

That night, Cory and Sirius opened the portrait from the outside, as James and Nancy slipped out in the invisibility cloak, clutching the marauders map and the Quidditch cup.

Sirius awoke with a start. He had had a restless night, full of disturbing dreams to do with the Quidditch cup.

He pulled open his bed curtains and looked across at James' bed. It was empty. Sirius leapt out of bed and walked over to where Cory lay sleeping.

"Cory! Cory, wake up!"

"I don't have it!" Cory yelled, as he awoke with a start. "Oh, Sirius. Sorry mate."

"Cory, James isn't here!"

"He's probably waiting for us in the common room, or at breakfast." Cory yawned.

As soon as they were dressed, Cory and Sirius went to look for James. He wasn't in the common room, and when they reached the Great Hall he was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok, let's not panic." Cory raked his hands through his hair. "We'll find Nancy. She was with him, she'll know."

"Right." Sirius began to walk back towards the common room. "Hang on, have you actually _seen_ Nancy today?"

"No, but she'll be in the girls' dormitory."

When they returned to Gryffindor tower, however, none of the girls had seen Nancy since the night before.

"They've been caught! They've been caught, I know it!"

"Look, calm down, Padfoot! If they'd been caught, we'd know! The teachers would have announced it!"

"Anything wrong boys?" Professor Fiddler grinned at them as they passed the staff room from which Fiddler was exiting.

"Er, no Sir." Mumbled Sirius.

"Oh Sir?" Cory piped up. "You haven't found the Quidditch cup have you?"

"No, I'm afraid we haven't." Fiddler said seriously. "I assure you, when we do, you'll know." And he disappeared round the corner.

"See?"

"Ok. But if they haven't been caught…"

"…And they're not in the castle…"

"…Then they must still be in the Shrieking Shack." Sirius sighed.

"Well then we have to go and find them." Said Cory brightly.

"When?"  
"Now. It's Sunday, we can do what we like. No one will miss us if we're only gone a couple of hours. We just have to make sure no one sees us near the Whomping Willow."

"And without my Dads cloak…"

"…it's going to be harder than last time, but we'll manage because we have too."

Sirius smiled weakly.

The journey to the Shrieking shack seemed to take much longer than before, simply because Sirius wanted, or _needed_, to be there _now_.

Without the map or cloak, he felt insecure; so instead, he had in his pocket the two-way mirror Harry had given him.

When they reached the opening, Sirius peered through. He could see James and Nancy sitting with their backs to the wall, on the other side if the room. James had his head in his hands and Nancy was staring at the floor. She looked exhausted.

Sirius crawled in, stood up and asked, "Why didn't you come back?"

He felt Cory behind him, and then suddenly there was a cry of "Expelliarmus!" and his and Cory's wands flew into the air and landed in the hands of a plump looking wizard.

"You!"

"Sirius Potter, we meet at last." Peter Pettigrew smiled slightly, placing both wands inside his robes. He moved so that he was blocking the opening from which Sirius and Cory had just entered.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Your Father has to realise that even with the Dark Lord gone, those who honoured him live on." Pettigrew shifted from one foot to the other, still blocking the entrance.

"What…what are you going to d…do?" Sirius asked, his voice faltering. He had meant to sound brave, to keep him talking, but he was all out of ideas.

"By the time everyone up at the school realises you are gone, it will be too late!" Pettigrew grinned, a mad glint in his eye.

"He's lost it!" Cried Cory. "He's gone completely bonkers!"

"Silence!" Pettigrew yelled, pointing his wand at Cory.

Sirius didn't know what to do. He'd been stupid, leading everyone down here, putting his friends in danger.

"Think, think!" He thought to himself. He put his hand in his pocket, clutching the mirror…

The mirror!

"Harry Potter!" Sirius said out loud, causing everyone to stare at him. He felt the mirror vibrate slightly, and knew it had worked. Pettigrew, however, was still staring at him.

"Um…Harry Potter…um…why Harry Potter?" Sirius stuttered lamely.

"Why? Why?" Screeched Pettigrew. "He killed the Dark Lord, that's why! Not to mention over half the Death Eaters!"

"Sirius?"

Sirius heard his fathers voice through the mirror, but luckily so did James. He began coughing loudly, so Pettigrew didn't notice. And besides, he was still ranting on about Harry Potter.

"The Shrieking Shack!" Sirius said loudly, hoping his Dad would take the hint.

"Why the Shrieking Shack, _Peter Pettigrew_?"

"Just like my good friend, Sirius Black. He hid out here once, you know." Pettigrew seemed to be in his element, as long as he still thought Sirius and the others were at his mercy.

"But that's enough talk, I'm going to kill you." He said, simply.

"Help!" Screamed Nancy, losing her head completely. "The Shrieking Shack, help!"

"Stupid girl! No one can here you all the way down here!"

_"That'__s what you think!" _thought Sirius, as Nancy gave him a small wink.

Sirius felt the mirror vibrate again, and knew that Harry was on his way. Now all he had to do was keep Pettigrew talking.

"I want to join you." Sirius said. Nancy gasped and Pettigrew froze, staring at Sirius.

"What?"

"I want to join you. I want to be on your side."

Cory opened his mouth, no doubt in order to protest, but Sirius stood on his foot.

"Don't be stupid boy." Pettigrew snarled.

"I'm not stupid." Sirius was thinking fast. He crossed his fingers inside his robes. "I'm clever enough to know that you're way more powerful than, oh, say, the Order of the Phoenix. I want to be on your side."

Pettigrew surveyed Sirius carefully. Sirius Potter, son of Harry Potter, on the side of the Dark Lord? Madness! And yet, he seemed determined. He could be useful too. After all, his father runs the order. Young Potter would be the key to so much information…

"How do I know that I can trust you?" Pettigrew asked.

Sirius was ready for this question. He used his puppy-dog-eyes look, as his mother called it. It was the look he used to get himself out of trouble…"I didn't do it, honest!…" Thinking of what his mum would say if she knew what was going on made Sirius feel sick. Instead, he ploughed on…

"I wouldn't betray you." Sirius said, keeping his fingers crossed.

"In that case…" Pettigrew hesitated, then held out Sirius' wand. Sirius held his hand out when "BANG!" a disarming spell hit Sirius and he was thrown against the far wall. Another one it Pettigrew, as Harry Potter climbed through the opening leading from Hogwarts.

"You fool!" He yelled at Pettigrew. "You really think my son would ever join forces with _you_?"

Sirius eased himself up onto his elbows and watched as Professor Lupin climbed through the hole, followed by Tonks, followed by Professor Fiddler. Lupin immediately joined Harry's side, while Tonks tied up Pettigrew with ropes she shot from her wand.

Professor Fiddler helped Sirius to his feet.

"Sir…"

"Not now." Fiddler looked across at Harry.

"Get them out of here, Sammy." Harry said, not taking his eyes off Pettigrew. "Take them to Lupin's office, I'll meet you there."

As Sirius followed James, Nancy and Cory through the opening he heard Pettigrew, "Remus, my friend, my good friend…"

"You're no friend of mine!" Spat Lupin as Professor Fiddler followed Sirius into the tunnel.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the hell where you thinking?" Harry Potter shouted, as he paced the headmasters study. Lupin was sat in the chair behind the desk, a grave look on his tired face. Sirius, James, Cory and Nancy were standing in front of him. Professor Fiddler was leaning against the door.

"Dad, we…we didn't think…"

"That, is obvious." Harry Stopped pacing and stared at his son. "If I hadn't been at Hogwarts already, it would have taken me longer to get there. You could have been in a worse situation. Why were you in there in the first place?"

Sirius looked at his feet.

"I wonder. Could there have possibly been a perfectly reasonable explanation to why they were in the Shrieking Shack?"  
Everyone stared at the large portrait behind Lupin's desk. Professor Albus Dumbledore was surveying the room with an amused expression on his face.

Sirius swallowed, then began the long story involving the Marauders first trip down the tunnel, the Quidditch Cup, and Evan Malfoy.

"Did you not think that if you had come and told me about the cup I might've been able to help? To find the real culprit, perhaps?"

Lupin stared at Sirius, who, by this point had a lump in his throat and could not continue. James took the chance and answered instead.

"We thought we would be blamed and expelled."

"Mr. Weasley, we would never expel a student without substantial evidence and hearing their side of the story."

"Oh, well, er…

"It seems," Dumbledore spoke again. "That this whole situation was based merely on confusion."

"I agree, Albus." Lupin frowned. "Sirius, James, Cory and Nancy. You will all receive a weeks worth of detentions for being out of bounds, and another week for failing to turn in the Quidditch Cup. However, you all showed immense bravery in detaining Peter Pettigrew until we arrived, and for that I award each of you fifty points for Gryffindor."

"But now I think it's off to bed." Professor Fiddler held open the door. Sirius made to follow the others but Harry took hold of him by the shoulders.

"Hold on you."

They waited until Lupin and Fiddler had also left the office.

"Dad, I'm…"

"No Sirius, _I__'__m_ sorry. I didn't warn you about Pettigrew from the start and I should have, instead of you having to find out from a newspaper." Harry looked at Sirius who was staring at his feet. "You could've been killed."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Harry sighed. "How's your head?"

"Fine. Now."

"Sorry about that but I thought…well. I just had to get you out of the way."

"Um, Dad? Where's Pettigrew?"

"Tonks is holding him in Fiddler's office. Lupin and Fiddler will be joining her now." Harry ruffled Sirius' already flyaway hair.

"Bed time."

"But…"

"No buts. I've got to sort out Pettigrew, and then get back to your mother. She was having kittens when I told her through Floo Powder."

Sirius left the office, and Harry sank down into Lupin's chair.

"Go home, Harry. Rest you mind. Then you can do it all again next year."

Harry chuckled to himself as he thought about a giant chess set, frequent visits to a girls' bathroom, an escaped hippogriff and a time-turner.

As Harry left the room, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore smiled.

"Like Father, like son."


End file.
